She`s Particular, But She Has A Point

RAY RECCHI

As I reached for the package of 10 convenient disposable plastic razors, my daughter admonished me.

``Those are bad for the environment,`` said Laura. ``You should get a regular razor and just replace the blades.``

Although I appreciate being admonished by my children -- or anyone else`s children for that matter -- about as much as I enjoy having my teeth drilled, I had to admit she was right. So I bought a permanent razor, the kind I used to use in the old days before everything was made to be disposable.

Because of Laura, we also buy products in non-aerosol cans whenever possible. We use paper instead of plastic. Her search for school supplies took a little longer than usual this year because she wanted recycled notebook paper and pencils made from recycled wood. After all, why should a tree give its life just so she can do her algebra?

When I bought envelopes for her brother (as an inducement to write home from college), she picked them out of the basket, examined the box, shook her head and gave me a pitying glance. Would I never learn? Those envelopes were not made out of recycled paper.

She returned them to the shelf and found a box that fit her ecological requirements.

WHERE IS `MY BREAD`?

Such episodes are occurring with greater frequency these days as my 15-year- old daughter, like many others of her generation, becomes more determined to keep her environment and herself healthy.

She really celebrates Earth Day, worries about holes in the ozone and non- biodegradable garbage.

What`s more, Laura can decipher those numbers on the suntan lotion containers and figure out what number is high enough to protect her from the rays of the sun without being so full of chemicals that it hurts her skin.

She buys special (which is to say ``expensive``) shampoo, conditioner, soap and skin lotion. In other words, shopping with my daughter has turned into a little glimpse of hell.

That is especially true of grocery shopping. Laura wants salt-free this, cholesterol-free that and fat-free everything. Mostly, she eats wheat in various forms.

My wife, to my chagrin, encourages such behavior. As a result, I often cannot find any of ``my bread`` (white, sliced) or ``my mayonnaise`` (high-test) with which to make a sandwich. Instead, all I can find is fat-free, cholesterol- free mayo and several loaves of ``lite`` or wheat bread.

Not that I begrudge their dedication to a healthy diet. If that`s what they want, it`s fine with me. I just wish they would give up their attempts to convert me, stop trying to make me feel guilty.

DISPOSABLE, YES; CONVENIENT, NO

Much as I prefer ``my bread,`` that is, I feel silly and a little guilty complaining about being stuck with whole wheat. Laura in particular encourages those feelings. She even invites me to jog with her nearly every day when she knows I won`t.

Still, it`s difficult to defend my position when I think she might be right. I hate that.

Besides, in a classic example of role reversal, she tells me she is only doing it for my own good, because she loves me.

The environment is another matter. In that area, I know she is right. And she is doing it for her own good and the good of generations to come.

Unfortunately, no one told me disposable diapers were bad until long after I stopped needing them. I grew up in the Disposable Generation, when everything from ballpoint pens to silverware was made to be conveniently tossed in the trash after use.

Although we have learned that those ``convenient, disposable`` items can become extremely inconvenient over time, those in my environmentally hedonistic generation are creatures of habit who have become slaves to short- term convenience.

But unless we want our ecology-minded children to think we`re hypocrites when we tell them to be responsible human beings, we are going to have to break those habits.